Four footballers get life bans for Asian match-fixing

Four players have been banned for life for match-fixing at the AFC Cup, the Asian Football Confederation said Friday. Kursanbek Sheratov from Kyrgyzstan was found guilty of fixing a match involving his club Dordoi FC in the 2017 AFC Cup, Asia's second-tier continental competition. He also supported betting activity related to the game, the AFC added.

Kyrgyz players Vladimir Verevkin and Iliaz Alimov were found guilty of fixing one or more matches involving their side FC Alay. And Tajikistan's Abduaziz Mahkamov manipulated AFC Cup matches involving FC Alay in 2017 and 2018.

The AFC said the punishments, handed down by its disciplinary and ethics committee, showed its "zero-tolerance approach" to match-fixing.

Meanwhile, Turkmenistan international Muhadov Suleyman was banned for four years for a doping violation at this year's Asian Cup, the AFC said.